


Emma

by CiciWeezil



Series: Mirror of the Soul [1]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Multi, Reid Adopts, Reid is great dad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-06-16 20:31:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15445251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CiciWeezil/pseuds/CiciWeezil
Summary: "Before he touched the computer again, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a photo that Heather had given him. A beautiful, five year old girl smiled back at him. Long brown hair in pigtails, hazel eyes, and a purple dress.Emma."Dr. Spencer Reid is about to open a new chapter on his life, which he fittingly titles, "Parenthood".Begins sometime near the end of Season 4.





	1. Househunting?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! I'm a huge Criminal Minds fan, and I have read numerous fics of the series as well. Some are great, some are weird, and some are in a language I can't read and it makes me sad... 
> 
> But one thing I haven't found is a Spencer-is-a-dad fic, and I now feel obligated to correct this.
> 
> I've had this story in the works for awhile now, and I'm very pleased with it. One thing I hate about Criminal Minds is the unspoken rule that Dr. Reid just can't be happy. All of the other characters (minus Gideon) seem to get a happily-ever-after story, after a torturous story arc, but not Spencer. 
> 
> Everytime some good happens, he gets shot, or someone he loves dies, or leaves, or something with his mother happens, or freaking season twelve which I will not go into because of spoilers. Need I go on? 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy this story, which I've split into parts (look at that, something you can do on AO3!) Please leave a comment below. 
> 
> Oh, and if you're a Harry Potter fan, go check out McGonagall's Girl by my friend leahcar200!

Spencer sighed as he scrolled down the page on his screen. He leaned back in his chair, so many thoughts in his mind.

"What's got you worked up?" asked Morgan, popping into the bullpen earlier than Spencer had expected.

"Nothing, I'm just..." Spencer sat up straight and tried to close the window on his screen. Morgan caught his hand and raised his eyebrows. 

"Househunting? And who might you being trying to impress?"

"Nobody." Spencer said too quickly. He quickly thought of something to say that might save him. "I thought a change in scenery would be good for me." 

Morgan gave him an ‘I-don't-believe-you-at-all’ face and crossed his arms.

Luckily, Spencer was saved from having to answer by JJ, as they had a new case. This time it was in New Jersey. Of course, Morgan wasn't done with him. He would find out... whatever it was.

* * *

“Hey, Prentiss, has Reid said anything to you about househunting?” Morgan asked upon their return to Quantico. New Jersey had been a doozy - every case that involved children always was. Particularly sociopathic children. Reid, for some reason, had left rather quickly.

“Househunting?” Prentiss seemed surprised. “Why would Reid be househunting? He doesn’t like change.”

“I caught him on his computer earlier, looking through some nice homes,” Morgan said, remembering the large budget Reid seemed to have. “I guess Reid’s got a little more money than we thought.”

 

“What neighborhood was he looking at?” Prentiss asked. 

“I’m not sure, actually. I didn’t catch the address,” Morgan enjoyed Prentiss’ jaw dropping.

“Did you ask him about it?”

“Of course I did, but he wouldn’t say,” Morgan sat down at Reid’s computer. “Do you know his passcode?”

“You’re not seriously going to hack his computer?” Prentiss shook her head. 

“Do mine ears deceive me or did I hear someone say ‘hack’?” Garcia strolled into the room at that moment, her arms full of files. “Who are we hacking?”

“Morgan wants to go through Reid’s search history.” Prentiss said.

Garcia froze. She didn’t normally snoop into her friends’ digital lives. “Why?” 

“He’s househunting.” Morgan explained.

“Seriously?” Her curiosity won. Garcia dropped her files on Morgan’s desk, grabbed his chair, and then pushed Morgan out of the way. Her fingers typed at superspeed, and within seconds she was past Reid’s login and in his history. “Upper Northwest? Why would he want to go so far away?”

“What kind of house is he looking at?” Prentiss asked, her curiosity was also too strong for her to consider that this was her friend’s life they were poking at.

“Let’s see… three bedroom… townhouse… wow, he’s got a huge budget.” Garcia sifted through all of the files and webpages in the blink of an eye. “Got a personal email account here. Spam… spam… and… what do we have here?”

“An adoption agency?” Morgan, who had been looking over her shoulder, said loudly, causing Garcia to flinch.

“What are you three doing?” said a familiar deep voice behind them.

They turned around to see Hotch and JJ standing there. Hotch’s face did not show any emotion, so none of them knew how much trouble they were with him. But JJ… looked ready to kill all three of them.

“Are you seriously going through Spencer’s computer?” JJ stepped in front of Hotch, looking Morgan straight in the eye. It was obvious who the ringleader was.

Prentiss was cursing in her head. If only she’d just minded her own business, and left five minutes ago like she’d planned.

Garcia wondered what hacker jail looked like. Surely this was unforgivable - of all the people on the team, she’d hacked Reid.

“Did you know Reid was trying to adopt?” Morgan asked, knowing there was nothing he could say to excuse snooping into the doctor’s private life. Might as well get as much information as he could before he was in a hearse on the way to Chicago.

“Does it matter?” JJ snapped, which meant, _Yes, I did know but it’s none of your business._

“All of you have better things to be doing. Go home. Garcia, I’ll take those files.” Hotch said quietly. There was a flurry of movement as Morgan, Prentiss, and Garcia made to follow orders.

Once they were gone, JJ followed Hotch back to his office. “He was going to tell them, eventually.”

“I know.” Hotch said simply, sitting down at his desk with the files from Garcia. He obviously wasn’t going home tonight.

“I can see Morgan and Garcia conspiring, but Emily?” JJ leaned on the doorframe.

“I’m sure she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Hotch said, opening the top file. “Either way, you should warn Reid that the others know. They’ll probably be pestering him with questions tomorrow.”

JJ nodded, wishing she didn’t have to be the one to tell Spencer. She was, however, Spencer’s best friend. It was her sacred duty to prepare him.

* * *

As it was, Reid did not immediately go to work the next day. He had an early meeting with a woman named Jenna Boddison. 

“I know you weren’t really concerned about size, but I thought I’d show you this one anyways.” Jenna said as they walked up the driveway of the red suburban townhouse. “It’s further back from the street, so you have a driveway and a one-car garage. There are two main levels, with a small loft in the attic and a finished basement.”

Reid nodded. “It looks nice.” He glanced up at the large but simple home. The exterior walls were a red brick, and the windows, though definitely old, were a good size. They would let a lot of light in. Cement steps led up to the solid oak door. The FBI part of him noticed a single peephole in the center of the door. 

“Let’s go in then, shall we?” Reid followed her inside as she continued talking. “These townhouses were built between 1960 and 1967, and this particular home has been renovated once. The contractor gave it an updated, open floor plan, as you can see.”

“I see he tried to keep the character.” Reid commented, noticing remnants of the hypnotic patterns the 60s had been known for. There was quite a bit of wood and bright colors. 

“Yes, this is an historic home, so the owners wanted that part to shine through. There’s a coat closet here on the right, and a powder room.” Jenna then led him through the house. “A separate dining room for company. Brand new appliances in the kitchen. There’s a lovely breakfast nook to overlook the backyard.” She opened a door off the living room. “It’s not very big, but there’s enough room for a child to run around, maybe a table and chairs.”

“It’s nice and private.” said Reid. “A good place to play chess.”

To echo the decade, each room had a different color theme: The dining room was a deep red, the kitchen was blue, the living room green, and the powder room was yellow.

Upstairs was a beautiful master suite and two other bedrooms approximately the same size - one blue and one pink, along with a generic green and tan bathroom in the hallway.

“Here’s the laundry closet. You won’t have to go downstairs to wash.” 

Reid chuckled. “I don’t mind the extra work, but this is helpful.”

“Now, there is a bonus room upstairs,” Jenna said, leading him up another staircase. “I thought you might like this as a study or library. It’s far from the noise of the street so you could concentrate well.”

Reid carefully stood up straight in the room. “Good ceiling height.”

Jenna, who was rather tiny compared to Reid, laughed. “I measured it before I brought you up here. Ready to see the basement?”

The basement was well-done, complete with a family room and powder room. It also had an extra room that had been set up like an office.

“There’s a lot of options with this space. It could be anything you want,” Jenna said, not feeling the need to list those options. She was sure Dr. Reid already had ideas.

They returned upstairs and finished the tour. As he made his way to Quantico, Reid considered the houses that Jenna had shown him so far. Although the Upper Northwest was further from his work, there were parks and other family-friendly amenities. There was even a dog park in case they considered getting a pet. This last one had everything they would need, and more - location, size, atmosphere.

Reid pulled out his cell phone. “Jenna? Hi, it’s Reid. That last house you showed me? Yes, I think it’s the perfect one. Could you make an offer?”

His team was exactly as expected. Morgan and Garcia pressured him with not-so-subtle questions whenever JJ wasn’t around, and Prentiss’ ears perked up each time, though she didn’t confront Reid herself.

JJ gave him apologetic looks every now and then. Hotch and Rossi, both of whom knew about Reid’s upcoming change of address, and the reason for it, made no comment. 

The case they had was fairly cut and dry - a serial killer who didn’t cover his tracks well enough, and they were home by eight that evening. Reid yawned as he opened the door of his apartment, exhausted. He cleared a few piles of books off his couch so he could sit down, and opened his laptop. 

One email later, he was grinning from ear to ear, his tiredness dissipating. He couldn’t dial his phone fast enough. 

“JJ? I got the house.” 

“That’s great, Spence! I’m happy for you.” JJ looked at her husband and gave him a thumbs up, who returned it. “Will is too. Why don’t we go out to dinner to celebrate?”

“Thanks, but I’d like to wait until I get word from the adoption agency. I-I don’t want to celebrate too early.” Spencer tapped his fingers on his lap nervously, relieved JJ couldn’t see him.

“Alright, I understand. But you shouldn’t worry, Spence. I’m sure everything will go well.” JJ wished Spencer was there in front of her. A hug would go a long way to calm the nerves she knew he was feeling. At Will’s silent request, she put him on speaker. “When do you close for the house?”

“I’m signing tomorrow.” Reid said. “Then I was hoping you could tour the house with me and set up all the child safety features. My adoption agent, Heather, sent me a list.”

“We can do a little more than that.” said Will in his rich New Orleans accent. “We’ll help you move in.”

Reid couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks, you guys.”

“No problem, Spence.” JJ said. “Call me when you’ve got the keys.”

Reid promised to and said goodbye, then put away his laptop. He reached for a blanket at the end of the couch and curled up there, the TV flashing in front of him. He didn’t think he’d get any sleep tonight.


	2. A New Home

As promised, Will and JJ helped him move into his new house the following week. JJ found every outlet and put covers on them. Will and Spencer outfitted the medicine and cleaning supplies cabinets with locks, as well as a drawer that held knives. Even Hotch dropped by to install a small gun safe in Reid’s room, which could only be opened with an access code.

Prentiss, JJ and Garcia insisted on a housewarming party, and the entire team was invited. Reid made sure to film parts of it to send to his mother. He felt something like this needed more than just a letter.

The adoption process wasn’t quite finished yet, but his adoption agent, Heather McKinney, seemed to already have a child in mind, and was preparing paperwork so that Reid and the child could meet. 

Reid’s job was a problem, of course. He was always traveling, putting his life on the line every day, seeing the very worst humanity had to offer. JJ had recommended hiring a live-in nanny.

And so, two weeks into May, Reid was supposed to meet with a prospective nanny. They’d met online on a child care website. She was a student starting medical school, looking for a job and a place to live in D.C. She loved children, and had sounded very excited on the phone.

He would certainly much rather be sitting in the little cafe, as he had planned, talking to her and getting to know her, than trapped in Dr. Nichols’ lab, trying to find a way to save his own life. The only good thing about this was the fact that it was him, and not someone like Morgan, who would have simply been shipped off to a hospital, unable to do anything. 

But Reid had a doctorate in chemistry. He had a fighting chance. Before he touched the computer again, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a photo that Heather had given him. A beautiful, five year old girl smiled back at him. Long brown hair in pigtails, hazel eyes, and a purple dress. 

Emma.

“Don’t worry. I’ll find a way out of this.” He whispered. Then he got to work.

* * *

Reid awoke to quite a strange sight. Never had he imagined the tall, bulky Morgan to be sitting there like a child, scooping a red blobby snack into his mouth.

“You’re eating Jell-O?” Reid asked, causing Morgan to look up, somewhat surprised.

“Hey, kid.” Morgan said with a smile. He turned to the doorway. “Hey, doc. Look who’s back.”

“Is there any more Jell-O?” Reid asked hopefully. 

“Hey,” said Kimura. “Not so fast.”

“What happened?” Reid asked.

“You’re gonna be alright, kid,” Morgan assured him. “And we got Brown. It’s over.”

As over as being an FBI agent can be, at least.

* * *

Shortly after recovering from his bout with anthrax, Reid managed to have another meeting with the medical student. Her name was Paisley Branch and she was quite intelligent, though not a genius. Reid still enjoyed talking to her. 

Garcia did a full background check on her without Reid asking. One can never be too careful, she insisted.

Reid made it very clear that he worked long and unpredictable hours. Paisley seemed fine with this, and explained that she had a little sister, had been a babysitter, and was quite versed in the ways of childcare. She was also good at housekeeping and cooking. Reid then explained about the adoption and showed her a picture of Emma. Paisley immediately fell in love and asked as many questions as she could. Of course, Reid didn’t know all the answers. Not yet, at least.

The following week, Reid showed her around the house, and where her room would be, right next to Emma’s. He also offered her the extra space in the basement as a place to study.

After officially hiring Paisley, Reid received news from Heather. It was time for him to finally meet Emma.

* * *

“I’m not going to stop bugging you until you tell me.” Garcia said, standing in just the right place so that Reid was trapped at his desk.

Reid sighed. “What do you want to know? What she looks like?” 

“No, silly. You’ve already shown us a picture. What does she like? What does she hate? Where is she from?”

Reid thought for a moment. He’d only spoken to Emma on two separate occasions, but they’d learned a lot about each other. “Let’s see… she likes magic, though more of the fantasy Harry Potter magic than sleight-of-hand tricks. I did entertain her a few times with that. Um… she likes puzzles, mathematics, reading mysteries and watching criminal justice shows like Law and Order. She doesn’t seem to hate anything, although she’s not a fan of brussel sprouts and she doesn’t like mean people. She was born here in D.C. and her parents died in a car accident on their way to pick her up from daycare when she was two.”

Garcia stared at him. 

“What?”

“How old is she again?”

“Five.”

“Are you sure?”

“I don’t…”

At that moment, Prentiss walked in and sat down at her computer.

“Emily, is it normal for a five-year-old girl to like mathematics and watch Law and Order?” Garcia asked.

Prentiss gave her a questioning look. “No…”

Reid sighed. “Well, that’s what Emma likes.”

“Reid, most little girls like ponies and magic and princesses,” Prentiss said.

“What’s her favorite color?” asked Garcia.

“Um… purple.”

Garcia sighed in relief. “Good, that’s normal at least.”

“Does she like games?” asked Prentiss.

“She played chess with me.” Reid said.

“Seriously? You’re already teaching her chess?” Garcia looked exasperated.

Reid furrowed his brow. “She already knew how to play.”

This left both women at a loss for words.

“What’s going on?” asked JJ as she and Morgan entered the bullpit. 

Garcia shook her head. “We’re about to have a mini-Reid running around.”

Reid shook his head. “Heather told me she has a high IQ. It’s why she thought we’d be a good match.”

“And are you?” Prentiss asked.

Reid shrugged and felt a small smile on his lips. “I’ve enjoyed every second I’ve spent with her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, the story summary actually came from this chapter. It takes me forever to decide on summaries. I almost never quote my actual story, but this time it just felt right. 
> 
> Hope you are all enjoying.


	3. New Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the hiatus. The school year has begun once more. On top of that, terrible weather deprives me of electricity... It takes a while to get the wifi going again, even when the power was only out for a moment.
> 
> I'm going to have to move my updates to weekends only, as I don't have much time on my hands during the week.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter and please leave a comment below.

Heather thought it was a good idea to wait until the summer before finalizing everything. That would give Emma a couple months to adjust before school started again. Reid had had long conversations with Heather about what school to enroll Emma at. She was reading on an eighth grade level, so Reid had looked into a private school one of his old friends worked at. 

Dr. Matthew Nash was the principal at the Academy for Gifted Children, and after one look into Emma’s academic records, he was ecstatic. Of course, Reid wouldn’t give him any guarantees yet. He was going to offer the option to Emma, but if she didn’t want to go, he wouldn’t force her.

“And one last signature here,” Heather passed the paper to Reid across the table. “Be sure to read it.”

Reid glanced at it and signed it.

“Is it humanly possible to read that fast?” Heather asked. She’d long ago accepted that this particular client was not ordinary, but sometimes she wondered if he was an alien from another planet, like Superman. To Emma, he might as well be. She already adored Dr. Reid - idolized him even.

“Actually, the human eyes absorbs everything you see. It’s up to the brain to decide what to remember and what not to, sort of like a computer. Some people’s brains just don’t throw anything out like they’re supposed to.”

“So is it a superpower or a malfunction?” Heather asked. Dr. Reid looked taken aback. “I’m joking. I think it’s lucky you have abilities like that. You’re the first person who has ever truly understood Emma before.”

Reid pursed his lips. “I know how that feels.” 

Heather smiled. “She’s all packed. It’s the last day of school and I promised her that her new daddy would pick her up.”

* * *

Reid wasn’t sure he’d be able to contain his excitement as he sat in his car with Heather, who had moved Emma’s luggage from her trunk to his. They were parked in front of Emma’s school.

“Her foster parents have already said goodbye to her. I think they were a little afraid of her.” Heather check the time on her watch.

“Any particular reason for that?”

“They think it’s weird she likes Law and Order so much. There are some disturbing moments in that show.” 

“Could be a lot worse,” Reid said. “I worked on a case where the serial killer-”

Heather interrupted him by holding up a hand. “I’ll trust you on that, if you’ll spare me the details.”

The bell rang at that moment as the kindergarteners were released first, so Heather and Reid made their way to the office. The school had been notified of the change of guardianship already, but they had still asked she be picked up in the office.

Although she was technically a preschooler, Emma had been labelled a kindergartener. She only spent time with her class during related arts, lunch and recess. Most of her academic time was in the library with various tutors and support teachers on considerably more rigorous coursework. 

“They’ve given her as much support as they can, but the school just isn’t equipped for a child like her,” Heather said, leading Reid to the front office where Emma would be waiting.  
“Daddy!” There was a blur of purple and Reid was suddenly winded.

“Emma!” Reid knelt down and hugged her. “I’m glad to see you.”

“I heard you were sick. Are you okay?” Emma asked, concern in her big hazel eyes.

“I’m fine. It’s nothing to worry about.” 

Emma didn’t believe him, but she didn’t press him for details. She turned to the office assistant. “My daddy’s here. Can I go now, please?”

“After he signs you out,” said the assistant. Reid went to the desk and handed her his credentials.

“Quit lying, Emma. You don’t have a daddy,” said one of the boys waiting in the office.

Emma glared at him. “Whether he’s biologically my parent or not, at least he loves me enough to be here on time. Why’s your mommy always late?”

Craig jumped up.

“Sit down, Craig.” said the assistant. “You’re still in school and I can still write you up.”

Emma pressed herself to Reid, who instinctively bent and picked her up. She wrapped her arms around him.

Heather and Reid thanked the assistant and left, leaving a very angry Craig behind.

“He wasn’t very nice.” Heather commented once they’d left the building.

“He’s just jealous,” Emma explained. “I get a lot of attention from teachers ‘cause I’m smart, and he just gets in trouble so they don’t like him. When he found out I was living in a foster home he started using it to make fun of me. But most of the other kids don’t understand what foster means.” 

“There’s nothing wrong with being a foster kid.” Reid said.

“I know,” said Emma matter-of-factly. “It’s not my fault my parents died. I was only a baby.”

Reid nodded, and unlocked the car. He set Emma down so that she could get in. Throwing her backpack in first, the little girl climbed in and, after glaring at it, put herself in the car seat. Her feet weren’t touching the floor. “I like your car. Volvo’s are cool. But do I have to sit in this?”

“You know you do.” Reid reprimanded her gently. Safety rules existed for a reason, and he tried not to imagine Emma flying through the windshield. Somehow, that image was far worse than any of the horrors he’d witnessed in the BAU. 

Emma didn’t argue, and allowed Reid to handle the harness. Once she was strapped in, Reid went to the driver’s side and they drove away. Heather accompanied them back to Reid’s house, where her car was parked.

“Here we are,” said Reid as they pulled into the driveway. Emma was beyond excited, unbuckling herself and opening her door before anyone could stop her. By the time Reid was out of the car, which only took a few seconds, she was next to him, bouncing on her toes and reaching for his hand.

“There’s someone I’d like you to meet.” Reid said, as the front door opened. 

Paisley had moved in less than a week ago. She was taking summer classes so it was beneficial for all three of them that she move in before the fall semester.

“Emma, this is Paisley. Paisley, this is Emma,” Reid introduced them.

“Hi, Emma, it’s great to meet you.” Paisley shook her hand. There was no need for introductions with Heather, as she had met Paisley already.

“Hello.” Emma greeted her. She had been quiet when Reid first met her as well, so he knew she would warm up to Paisley, who, like Garcia, had milked every last detail from Reid about Emma.

It was incredible watching Emma’s face as they showed her the house. She seemed to love every feature of it, from the powder room next to the front door to the tiny backyard to the loft, which Reid had turned into a library. It had taken him two days to organize all of his books.

After the tour and a snack, Paisley took Emma upstairs to unpack and get to know each other. Emma seemed to perfectly understand Reid’s explanation of Paisley. His job required a lot of travel, and Paisley would be there so she wasn’t alone. 

“I can tell this is the start of something wonderful.” Heather said, sorting through the paperwork and pulling out papers that Reid needed to keep. “Her new birth certificate should arrive in the mail in a couple weeks, as well as her social security card.”

“I’ll keep an eye out for them.” Reid said. “Emma Diana Reid. Do you think she’ll like it?”

“Her foster mother told me she’s been writing ‘Emma Reid’ in a notebook. They call it her diary but she calls it her brain map. She showed it to me once. It’s full of little thoughts, random theories, sketches, and questions.”

“Like a scientist.” Reid carefully placed the papers she gave him in a folder labeled ‘Emma’.

“Exactly.” Heather sighed. “She’s so sweet, and so smart. That day you walked into my office… after just five minutes I knew… I knew you were meant for each other.”

Reid smiled. “None of it would have been possible without you. I can’t thank you enough. A lot of people in the adoption agencies wouldn’t have given me a second thought, since my schedule is so unpredictable.”

“I swore I would make this happen. Now, I’d better get going. It’s time for you and Emma, and Paisley, to start being a family.”

Heather went upstairs and said goodbye to the girls, and then she left. 

Emma came downstairs, another blur of purple, and Reid picked her up, carrying her to the couch. She snuggled close to him. Paisley appeared a moment later and asked what they were doing for dinner. 

He considered going out to celebrate, but they were all tired and he wanted to spend his first night as a father at home.

“What about pizza?” Emma asked, as though reading his mind. “Or Chinese. There’s some places that deliver here.” She listed several restaurants.

Paisley tried to hide her surprise. “I could go for some egg rolls.”

“Chinese it is.” Reid said, pulling out his cell phone to call a Chinese place Emma had listed.

“And we could watch a movie.” Paisley offered. Reid had mostly documentaries, old historical films, or movies in other languages (He also had Doctor Who and Star Wars on VHS and DVD). As smart as Emma was, she was still a child, and loved cartoons, so Emma and Paisley went back upstairs to raid Paisley’s own movie collection. 

Emma picked Toy Story, and once their food arrived, the three of them settled in for their first of many, many movie nights.


	4. Father's Day

Less than a month later, Reid arrived home late at night. He stumbled through the doorway and up the stairs. He really needed a shower. The pig’s farm in Canada made him feel gross.

Paisley was still up, and met him on the stairs.

“You smell like a barn.” Paisley said.

“Yeah, that’s accurate. Do you ever sleep?” He didn’t mean to pry, but it was two o’clock in the morning.

“For a few hours. I’ve never needed a lot of sleep,” she explained. “There’s a genetic reason for that, too.”

“Yeah, DEC2,” Reid yawned, hoping that didn’t seem rude.

Paisley sniffed and made a face at Reid’s smell. “I’m going to be studying, so let me know if you need anything.”

Reid showered and collapsed onto his bed. It felt like only seconds went by before his phone started ringing.

“It’s my day off.” Reid muttered, reaching for his phone that he’d barely managed to plug in earlier. Daylight streamed through the window.

It was JJ and it was urgent. Reid was suddenly wide awake.

Emma was an early bird, even in the summer, so at seven in the morning, she was sitting in the breakfast nook munching on cinnamon toast cereal and reading a mystery book.

“You’re leaving?” asked Paisley, holding a coffee cup out for him.

 

“We’ve got an urgent case.” Reid said.

“It’s your day off,” said Emma. She didn’t sound whiny but her face showed disappointment. Reid had a feeling today was important to her, but he couldn’t quite place it.

“I know, Butterfly, but the bad guys don’t take days off.” Reid kissed her forehead and she nodded. “I love you.”

“Love you, too, Daddy,” Emma said. He felt her eyes on him as he went to the front door. “Happy Father’s Day.”

Reid paused, and turned back to her. “Thanks, Butterfly.”

* * *

Reid opened his eyes, almost blinded by the bright lights of the hospital.

“Eighteen hours and two agents in the hospital.” JJ sounded very serious for what seemed like a joke. 

“Hotch?” Reid asked, focusing on her.

“It was the Reaper.” JJ explained. “Foyet used Morgan’s credentials to drop Hotch off here after stabbing him. He’ll live, but Haley and Jack had to go into protective custody. We’re fairly certain Foyet will go after them.”

“We’ll have to catch him before then,” Reid said. 

“As for you, you’ll be on crutches a while.”

“That’s okay. It’s Morgan’s job to kick down doors.”

“One more thing… you got a call from a very concerned little girl.” JJ held up his phone.

“Emma? What happened?” Reid tried to sit up straight, but JJ held him down.

“She and Paisley are on the way here,” she said calmly. “Paisley called your phone before I had a chance to find her number. She told me Emma knew something had happened to you.”

Reid nodded. “Sometimes it feels like she knows what I’m thinking.”

“Really?” JJ quirked an eyebrow.

“The day I adopted her, she knew I’d been sick, but the only person who could have told her that was Heather, and she swears she didn’t.”

“So how could she know?”

“I have no idea,” Reid said. 

“Daddy!” Emma cried, though not too loudly. She understood how to act in a hospital. JJ stepped back so Emma could be next to him. 

“Emma, I’m glad you’re here. And you, Paisley.”

“You look horrible,” Paisley said, honest as ever. “JJ said you were shot?”

“In the leg. I’ll be fine. I just need crutches for awhile.” 

Paisley looked like she was itching to talk about something. 

“Emma, could you do me a favor?” Reid asked. Emma nodded. “There’s a vending machine down the hall. Could you see if they have M&M’s? Preferably the kind with peanuts.”

JJ followed her out, and Reid hoped she could distract her long enough for Paisley to say what she needed. He looked at her expectantly.

“She was so upset,” Paisley said. “When I asked her what was wrong she begged me to call you, so I did and I put it on speaker but you didn’t answer. I kept calling back for half an hour until JJ answered and explained what happened…”

“I’m sorry,” said Reid. “I didn’t expect that to happen. I’m not sure how she knew something was wrong.”

Paisley nodded thoughtfully. “I think I’m starting to understand it. It’s sort of like empathy, but it’s physiological. Sometimes twins can feel each other’s pain. But in this case, I think you two have such a strong bond that you can sense when something is wrong.”

“I haven’t sensed anything about her,” Reid said, unsure of whether he believed in this sort of thing. With twins, he understood, but a father and daughter who weren’t biologically related?

“Nothing’s happened to her,” Paisley said. “You’re the one who got shot. She sensed your pain. She hasn’t had any pain for you to feel.”

They were both quiet for a moment.

“I should get her a cellphone,” Reid said. “She could call me anytime, even when she’s at school. And she can call you, too.”

“That would be helpful, considering either of our schedules can change at a moment’s notice,” Paisley said.

“Great. I’ll get her one after they release me from the hospital.” 

Emma came back then and was allowed to climb on the hospital bed next to Reid, helping him sort the peanut M&M’s by color and deciding which ones to eat first. After a few minutes, Emma reached into her backpack and pulled out a handmade card. 

“This is for you.” 

Reid held it gingerly and took his time admiring every detail. On the front it said, ‘Happy Father’s Day’ and a skilled drawing of their house. It looked like a ten-year-old had made it, but Reid knew this was all Emma. He opened it, and couldn’t help the tears forming in his eyes.

‘You’re the best daddy in the world. I’m glad you’re mine.’ The sweet words were accompanied with a drawing of Reid, Emma and Paisley sitting on the couch. Across from them was the TV, which was unmistakably playing Toy Story. The table in front of them was covered in Chinese food boxes. 

It was their first night together. 

Reid closed the card and noticed something on the back. It was a lone drawing of Paisley, and the words, ‘I wish there was a Nanny’s Day, too.’

“Thank you, Butterfly.” Reid said, pulling Emma into a warm embrace. “I love it.”


	5. Safety

Reid’s life was twice the whirlwind it was before. When he wasn’t on a case, he was spending time with his daughter, and usually Paisley as well. 

It took him awhile to figure out how to climb the stairs in crutches. Paisley only allowed him to because his bedroom and the only two full-size bathrooms were there. She took on full responsibility of the house, keeping it clean and cooking breakfast and dinner, though Reid considered that temporary. As soon as he could walk again he was going to do his fair share of work in the house. 

She even offered to drive Reid to work, but Reid didn’t need his left leg to drive so he politely refused. Quantico was just too far for Paisley. Her school was in the opposite direction. Prentiss also offered to carpool with him. Before he’d moved, the two of them would ride the same subway line together. But his house was out of the way for her, so Reid refused once again.

With Foyet on the loose, Reid found himself regularly calling Paisley or Emma to check up on them. Emma texted him every few hours. She would do it more, but Paisley knew Reid didn’t have unlimited text, and so Emma was on a tight phone schedule.

There was the problem of what to do with Emma if Paisley had class while Reid was at work. Paisley solved this temporarily. She had an aunt in Bethesda who could babysit until August, when she would be moving back to Jacksonville, Paisley’s hometown. By that point, Emma would be starting school so it would be much easier for everyone’s schedules.

Reid soon found himself begin to relax in his new lifestyle as a father. Once her birth certificate and social security card arrived, Reid had a meeting with his attorney and had JJ and Will named as godparents, both of whom gladly accepted.

Most of the team had not met Emma. They’d had such a busy schedule, looking for Foyet and working other cases, that only JJ had had time to see the girl and that was because she needed to sign the papers to be godmother.

Paisley had a few days off while Reid and Emma went to Berkeley, California for a conference. Emma stayed with a friend while Reid sat in on a lecture by James Fallon. After the conference, he and Emma flew to Las Vegas, where Emma met her grandparents, albeit separately. 

Reid still wasn’t on good terms with his father, but even he had a right to know his granddaughter. Mr. Reid wasn’t sure how to talk to the girl. Emma bonded much more easily with his mother, who adored the child. She spent hours reading to her in a long period of clarity. Seeing this made Reid glad he’d given Emma the middle name 'Diana’. 

Their last day in Las Vegas was sightseeing, and they flew back to D.C. late that night. Reid wished he didn’t have to wake her sleeping form, but the plane was landing, and he couldn’t carry her with his injured leg. He still had to walk with a cane. 

Emma yawned and looked out the window of the plane. The sun would be rising in an hour. “Do you really have to go to work today?”

“Afraid so, Butterfly.”

Paisley was there to pick them up, wide awake and offering Reid a coffee, which he accepted gratefully. By the time they got home, Emma was too tired to argue and crawled into bed while Reid went to his room to get ready for work.

That was where he received the text from JJ about the home invasions in Hampton. They were all meeting at the last crime scene.

* * *

They had jumped straight from the murders of the military families to Foyet, who had resurfaced in the D.C. area. Reid hadn’t been home since he’d driven back from Hampton with JJ. 

“Hey, Reid, the front desk just called to say you have a visitor.” Prentiss said as she returned to the conference room. They were all there, even Garcia, who had just found a prescription thyroid drug that couldn’t be substituted. Foyet needed that to stay alive.

Reid stepped out of the conference room, and his confusion turned to surprise and happiness at the sight of his little girl.

“Daddy!”

She ran to Reid and hugged him gently. Reid returned the embrace, wishing he could pick her up.

“Emma, Paisley, what are you doing here?” 

“It’s a weekend,” Paisley said. “So I didn’t have class and she really wanted to see you.”

“Oh my gosh, she’s adorable!” Garcia rushed over, followed by the rest of the team, including Hotch, whose serious face hadn’t changed. 

“Hello.” Emma said, her shyness returning.

“Right, um, everybody, this is my daughter, Emma,” Reid didn’t have time to be nervous. Once everyone had said hi, he turned back to Paisley. “I really wish you guys could stay but we’re working on a case and running out of time.”

“That’s okay, Daddy. Just catch the bad guy,” Emma said, giving him one more hug before taking Paisley’s hand.

“See you later,” Paisley said, and they left.

“Sorry, Hotch. I didn’t know they would…”

“Don’t apologize for taking a moment with your family.” Hotch said. “I’m only sorry you had to send them away.”

Reid nodded, relieved that Hotch wasn’t mad. Still, he felt guilty for being able to see his family when Hotch couldn’t do the same. He returned to his chair.

“What kind of aliases should we be looking for?” Morgan wondered aloud.

“He could have easily stolen someone else’s identity,” Prentiss said.

“No, he’s a narcissist in love with his own mythology. He’d use a name connected with the case,” said Hotch.

“A victim, maybe. A cop,” said Rossi.

Garcia started typing. “Okay, let’s check the Foyet files for a list of names. And… nothing.”

“Wait a minute, guys,” Reid said, standing up. “Foyet likes things to have meaning to him. The eye of Providence, the addresses in blood he wrote on the bus that led us back to him… maybe he’s doing the same thing with the alias.” He wrote ‘George Foyet’ on the board.

“Like an anagram or something,” said Prentiss.

Reid spent a minute circling letters, crossing some out, trying to reassemble them into something else. 

“You see something, Reid?” Morgan asked.

“Not yet.” 

“Reid, he named himself the Reaper,” said Hotch.

Of course, thought Reid. He wrote ‘The Reaper’ on the board and within seconds he had a name. 

“Peter Rhea.”

Now it was Garcia’s turn. “There’s a Peter Rhea in Arlington.”

And thus their search began again. For a while, it seemed that Foyet was one step ahead of them - vacating his apartment when he realized someone had searched Peter Rhea online, then finding the marshall in charge of protecting Haley and Jack, and using his phone to call and fool Haley into going with him. 

But Hotch managed to outsmart him in one way. “I need you to work the case with me, Jack.” And the little boy had understood exactly what he meant, hiding himself from Foyet. Now the bastard was dead, but so was Haley. 

Hotch was broken, and the team was being investigated. It was Reid’s turn to be interviewed, or interrogated, by Strauss.

“You left for Marshall Kassmeyer’s house immediately.” Strauss said.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Wouldn’t this be a job for a tactical team?” 

“We felt that it would take too much time to get authorization for another operation.”

“We?”

“All of us.”

“Don’t you mean Agent Hotchner wanted that?”

“No, I mean all of us wanted that. I know what you’re thinking, and I agree it would be easy for us to blame him.”

“Easy?”

“Yeah, why not just say it’s his fault and then we can all just forget about it. But, uh, the problem is, I have an eidetic memory and that’s not what happened.”

**********************

Reid returned home that night, still hobbling on his cane, wondering where his daughter was. Usually she would tackle him before he could shut the door. 

He smelled something wonderful and headed for the kitchen. There he found Paisley and Emma both wearing aprons and stacking a plate with freshly made cookies.

“Surprise!” Emma said when Reid came in. “They’re peanut butter flavoured. And still warm.”

Reid smiled and took one from the plate being offered. Then he made his way to the breakfast table. “What’s all this for?” 

“JJ texted and told us the gist of it. We thought you could use some cheering up,” Paisley explained, handing him a glass of milk and some antacids. He really should just stay away from dairy altogether, but it was sinful to eat cookies without milk.

“Thanks, I appreciate that.” Reid said, unable to resist another cookie. 

They had another movie night, this time watching Anastasia, which was followed by a discussion about how non-historical the movie was. Paisley was a history buff, and for once she knew more about the Romanov’s than either of the geniuses in the room, a moment of pride for her. The night was full of laughter and smiles.

Once Emma was tucked in for the night and Paisley down in her study, Reid went to his own bed and pulled the covers over him. 

By this point, he considered Paisley to be part of the family. She was somewhere between a mother and a sister to Emma, although Reid didn’t know what she was to him. Either way, he was glad to have her and Emma to come home to. After Gideon had left, he’d felt so alone - abandoned, even. But if he hadn’t lost Gideon, he wasn’t sure he’d have ever considered adopting. 

His last thought before he drifted off was that he would protect his family - Emma, Paisley, his team and their families- with everything he had.


	6. Roses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Accidentally skipped this chapter last week. Sorry about that.

Reid didn’t normally show emotion, but right now he was having a hard time holding it in. Listening to Hotch’s eulogy for Haley and knowing there was nothing he could do to fix it was the worst feeling. He looked down at Emma, who wore a black velvet dress. A purple ribbon wrapped around her waist and was tied in a bow in the back, and a matching ribbon held her thick brown hair in a simple ponytail, something Reid was proud to accomplish. 

Normally, he wouldn’t have brought her to a funeral, particularly for someone she’d never met, but Paisley was in class and her aunt had already gone back to Florida. There was nowhere for Emma to go until school started next week.

Hotch’s speech ended and everyone started placing flowers on top of Haley’s coffin. Reid and Emma waited for their turn, and then stepped forward. Emma looked up at Hotch and his son and placed her white rose carefully next to Reid’s. As they stepped away, she continued to watch Jack, until Reid tapped her. 

They rode with JJ to the reception. Reid tried to convince Emma to talk to the other children, but she clung to him. 

Then all of their phones started ringing and beeping. JJ answered and told them they had to go. Everyone looked at Reid, who obviously couldn’t leave his daughter, but he also couldn’t take her to Nashville.

JJ left for a moment and returned with Jessica, Haley’s sister. 

“I can take her, Dr. Reid,” said Jessica.

“Are you sure? I mean, after what’s happened-”

“I’m okay. Really. I’d like to feel useful.” 

Reid looked down at Emma. “Emma, I know you’ve never met Jessica before-”

“Don’t worry, Daddy. I’ll be fine. Catch the bad guy, okay?” Emma walked over to Jessica, then she turned back to Reid. “Will you call me when the plane lands?”

Reid smiled. “Yeah, I will.” He looked up at Jessica. “Thank you so much.”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Jessica.

Forty-five minutes later, the team was on the jet to Nashville, determined to catch yet another serial killer.

* * *

“You okay, kid?” Morgan asked. 

They were on their way back from Atlantic City, New Jersey, where a young woman had been abducting women and dressing them up to replace her lost dolls. Reid was sitting with his leg propped up across the aisle from Morgan.

“Yeah, I guess,” Reid shrugged. “I just don’t understand how someone could do that to their daughter. And all those other little girls.”

“I know. At least that bastard is going away for a long time.” Morgan knew Reid sometimes had a hard time looking on the bright side. 

“It just makes me think… Emma saw so many therapists before I adopted her…”

“She’s smart, Reid. And she trusts you. If anybody touched her, I’m sure she would have told you,” Prentiss assured him.

 

Rossi jumped in at that moment. “Actually, intelligence doesn’t improve the chances of a victim coming forward about abuse. If they fear the offender will hurt them, then they’ll stay silent.”

JJ gave him a look. “Emma hasn’t shown any of the telltale signs of abuse, sexual or otherwise. Spence, I don’t think you need to worry about that.”

“Thanks, JJ,” Spencer said, though he didn’t seem entirely convinced. 

“And even if something did happen,” Morgan said. “Just know, she’s got the entire BAU behind her.”

* * *

“Daddy, come on!” Emma said, bouncing on her feet. “We’re going to be late! I thought you’d move faster without a cane.”

Reid raised an eyebrow at her comment as he pulled on his coat. “You know, the quickest route takes forty-five minutes, and if we leave within two minutes we’ll have an hour once we arrive before the morning bell rings? And yes, I did factor in the current traffic conditions.”

He opened the door and motioned for her to go first. Paisley was already gone, having an early morning class. 

Emma huffed. “But you don’t know how long my orientation is going to take, and I don’t want to miss a second of my first class.”

“Orientation is for all the new students. It takes a while. That’s why they scheduled it for 8:15 when the school starts at 9. Car seat’s in the back.”

Emma sighed in frustration and stepped away from the front passenger door. Reid opened the other door and she reluctantly climbed in. She crossed her arms.

“Something else bothering you?” Reid asked gently as he buckled her in. He shut the door and went to the driver’s seat, starting the car.

Emma’s eyes looked up at the rearview mirror, which she knew Reid could see her in. 

“What if they don’t like me?”

“Emma, believe me when I say I know what it’s like to have people dislike you for being smart,” Reid said. “But this school is full of kids like you. Even if you find just one person… one friend… it’s enough.”

“Did you have friends?” Emma asked. “When you were young?”

Reid thought about it. “I had one, but I was already in college. He’s in New Orleans now. But before him I didn’t really have anybody.”

Emma nodded. “But you turned out okay.”

Reid wasn’t sure he really agreed with that, but he decided he didn’t want to ruin Emma’s image of him. Prentiss had said Emma trusted him, and he didn’t want to lose that.

* * *

His phone buzzed at exactly the wrong moment - they were needed for teenage serial suicides in Wyoming. Emma had just been given her new student packet and they were on the way to meet her teacher. He could feel her eyes on him as he pulled it out. He sighed and replied that he would meet them on the plane.

“You have to go?” Emma frowned. She normally didn’t mind him leaving last minute, but the first day of school was an important moment for her. 

She had very carefully put on her uniform this morning - a yellow and black plaid skirt, white blouse, and a yellow cardigan. Reid had braided her soft brown hair into a ponytail and tied it with a yellow ribbon at the end, something he’d learned from Prentiss.

“Not yet, Butterfly. I can stay to meet your teacher,” He smiled at her and took her hand. “Lead the way.”

Dr. Adam Hyles was young and handsome. He had shaggy black hair and wire-rimmed glasses, and he was dressed in khaki slacks, a white collared button-up, and a red cardigan under a Harris tweed jacket. A black tie and red converse completed the look.

Emma was glancing between her teacher and her father, which Reid noticed.

“Something wrong?” Reid asked.

“Just trying to figure which of you raided the other’s closet,” Emma said with a mischievous grin.

Reid glanced at Dr. Hyles. “Maybe we both have good taste.”

Dr. Hyles turned away from the mother and son he was talking to and Reid caught his eye. He introduced himself and Emma. 

“Dr. Reid, Emma Reid, wonderful. Dr. Nash told me about you. Great to meet you, both of you,” He shook their hands. “Are you really an FBI agent?”

Reid smiled. “Yes, in the Behavioral Analysis Unit.”

“That’s quite an achievement.” Dr. Hyles said. Then he knelt down to Emma’s eye level. “And that’s what I’m here to help you do, Emma. AGC exists to help children like you achieve your dreams, whatever they may be.”

Emma thought for a moment. “What if I don’t know what they are yet?”

“That’s perfectly fine,” Dr. Hyles assured her. “You’re five years old, and you have plenty of time to decide your future. You’ll figure it out eventually. And while you’re waiting, perhaps you’ll make a few friends.”

He motioned to the other children in the room, all of whom looked a little nervous. Some were already alone, their parents having left. None of them seemed brave enough to talk to anyone else.

Dr. Hyles met Emma’s eyes. “The first day is always the hardest.”

Emma gave him a little smile, and then she turned back to Reid, who was just receiving another text from JJ. He was expected in 30 minutes. 

“It’s okay, Daddy.” Emma said, giving him a hug. “Go catch the bad guy.”

Reid knelt and kissed her on the forehead. “I will, Butterfly.”


	7. Pumpkins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops! I skipped chapter six last week, so I recommend going back and reading it!
> 
> This is the chapter I posted last week so most of you have already read it.
> 
> This is one of my favorite chapters that I've written for this story so I hope you all enjoy it as much as me.

“Hi, Daddy!” Emma climbed into the car and strapped into the car seat by herself, nearly a month into school and obviously happy that her father was picking her up. She loved Paisley, but there was something special about seeing the blue Volvo waiting for her.

“Hey, Butterfly.” Reid greeted her with a smile. For once, he’d actually been able to take his day off. Too bad it was on a school day. “What did you do today?” 

“We had a free day to work on our projects.” 

And for the next forty-five minutes, Reid happily listened to his daughter detail her research project, which was centered around the preservation of the coral reefs in Key West. Emma cared deeply about animals and the environment.

“How about we go to the park today?” Reid asked.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Emma bounced in her seat as they pulled into the driveway of their house.

“Go upstairs and change out of your uniform then. I’ll pack us some food for a picnic.” 

Emma bolted to the front door, unlocking it with her house key, which Reid had printed on a WALL-E themed key. After Toy Story, WALL-E was her favorite movie. Emma had never had much chance in her foster homes to watch movies, so Paisley and Reid watched them with her as often as possible. She favored Pixar movies.

Reid pulled out a small basket and packed it with juice boxes and sandwiches he’d made earlier. He added some chips and cookies and closed the basket. 

“Emma, are you ready?” He called upstairs.

“I’m right here,” said a voice behind him. 

Reid whirled around to find the little girl sitting on the floor next to the coat closet, putting on her tennis shoes. He smiled and knelt down to help her tie them. Emma knew a lot of things, but she still fumbled with tieing and other fine motor skills. This was one of the reasons Reid did the bows in her hair. 

Speaking of her hair, Emma had pulled out the braid and tried to put it up in a simple ponytail. As her father tied her shoes, Emma fidgeted with the hair tie.

“Here, let me.” Reid said, reaching up and taking out the hair tie. He combed through her hair with his fingers and pulled it into a straight ponytail.

“Thanks.” Emma stood up and Reid looked at the rest of her outfit. Pink cotton shorts and a Cinderella t-shirt. It was still warm today so Reid didn’t mind her wearing shorts. Emma was always aware of the weather outside so it was never something he worried about.

A short while later, Reid and Emma arrived at the park. Most children would have run for the swings or the slide nearby, but Emma walked with her father to the collection of chess tables, most of which were occupied. She stopped next to a young man named Michael that Reid regularly played, currently playing himself. 

Michael looked up and nodded to her. “I see checkmate in five.”

“I see it in four.” Emma said, sitting down across from him and taking control of the whites. As promised, she had a checkmate in four moves.

Michael shook his head and challenged her to a full game. Reid sat down next to them with a book about philosophy, a required reading for one of his courses. 

Half an hour later, Emma was tapping him. “I won, Daddy!”

Reid looked up and smirked at Michael’s expression, eyes on the chessboard, examining each and every piece. Reid imagined he was probably going through the moves, trying to see any other way the game could have gone. Michael was actually more skilled than Emma, but he tended to go easy on the girl. Hopefully he’d learned his lesson now.

Emma thanked Michael for the game and asked Reid if they could eat. Michael waved at them before starting another solo game.

They sat down at a picnic table under a shady tree, eating and talking about anything and everything. 

“Spencer, Emma.”

Reid turned around to see Hotch behind him, Jack in his arms.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.” Hotch said quietly. He was dressed casually, and his hair wasn’t as straight. Home Hotch and Work Hotch were two different things.

“This is our favorite place to play chess.” Reid said, pointing to the chess tables. “We’ve got some extra sandwiches. Do you want to join us?”

Hotch looked at Jack, who perked up at the sound of food. Taking that as an answer, Reid motioned for them to sit down. They spent the rest of the afternoon together. With another child there, Emma decided to play on the playground. 

“How is she doing at school?” Hotch asked, surprising Reid.

“Pretty well. She’s made a few friends,” Reid said. “You know, last year they labeled her as a kindergartner, even though she was only four for most of the school year. They couldn’t put her in preschool because the program is separate from the rest of the school. She needed the individualized curriculum that the academic coaches could give her.”

Hotch smiled. “So what is she this year?”

“Kindergarten still. AGC does it by age, but the students are already on a more advanced curriculum than those in public school. Emma’s class is already past basic multiplication and division.”

“Impressive.” Hotch said. He knew Reid wasn’t bragging, just rambling and sharing knowledge. 

Eventually, as the sun moved lower in the sky, Reid and Hotch called their children to them. It was time to go home.

* * *

“I don’t which one to pick!” Emma sighed in frustration at the dozens of costumes before her. 

Reid gave her an amused smile, feeling very relaxed in the Halloween store. “You have a whole week. No need to pressure yourself.”

Emma leaned on him, wrapping an arm around his leg. “What are you gonna be?”

“A Jedi,” Reid picked her up and carried her to the adult-sized costumes. “See? And there’s lightsabers over here.”

“Good, I thought you were gonna wear that ugly mask.”

“Oh, come on, the mask is great,” Reid defended.

“It makes you look like a monster,” Emma said. “But your job is to catch the monsters, not be one.”

“Butterfly, my job often requires me to think like a monster in order to catch them.”

Emma frowned, knowing her father would have a logical argument to back him up and deciding it was best not to delve into it. They returned to the children’s section, where Emma continued to look through the various costumes, in search of the perfect one to trick-or-treat in.

Reid, of course, knew something else was bothering Emma. He had felt it all day. At first, the thought of trick-or-treating with her dad had excited Emma, but something had changed, and he thought he knew what it was.

“Emma,” Reid said, and she looked up at him. “What’s really wrong?”

“Nothing,” Emma lied. “I just don’t know what to wear…”

Reid knelt down. “You and I both know that’s not it.” 

Emma’s shoulders slumped. “Crime rates all over the country skyrocket around and on Halloween. Most of those crimes are petty offenses, but there’s still a chance that someone really bad might surface and-”

“You think I’ll be called away on Halloween?”

Emma nodded, pretending to study a plastic tiara on the wall.

“Emma, I know my job is unpredictable, but if I do have to leave, I promise you, I will do my best to get back in time for your first trick-or-treat,” Reid knew he couldn’t give her a solid I-will-be-there-come-hell-or-high-water. He would never make a promise he couldn’t keep. 

“And if you can’t?” Emma asked.

“Then you and Paisley will take pictures every five minutes and save me some peanut M&M’s.” 

Emma smiled. “I can’t guarantee M&M’s if you’re not there to stop me from eating them.”

“Who taught you to barter?” Reid laughed. 

“Uncle Derek did,” Emma said. “Is JJ still throwing the costume party?”

“As far as I know.”

“Then I know what I want to be.” Emma looked around before finding the costume she was thinking of. She returned to her father with it. “I checked the size. It should fit.”

Reid smiled proudly, and then paid for their purchases.

* * *

A week later, Reid was sound asleep in his bed. Until a blur of purple crashed on top of him. 

“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” 

Reid moaned. “What time is it?”

“It’s seven-thirty!” Emma cried, shaking him. “Come on! Get up!”

“But it’s so early…” Reid rolled over, refusing to open his eyes. “Do you know what time I went to bed?”

Emma sighed and spoke quickly but reasonably. “Daddy, I know you didn’t get home until two this morning, and it’s your day off, but I also know that I have school today, and we have a party tonight at JJ’s, so if we’re going to celebrate your birthday, we have to do it now, before I go to school.”

“My birthday?” Reid asked, sitting up finally. He looked at his alarm clock. It did indeed say October 28, 2009.

Emma looked shocked. “How could you forget the day you were born?”

Reid smiled bemusedly, and climbed out of bed. He pulled on a robe and followed her downstairs.

“It’s about time.” Paisley said, giving him a hug. “Happy birthday, Spencer.”

“Thanks,” said Reid. “What smells so good?”

“Breakfast!” Emma cried. “Paisley and I have been cooking for an hour. It’s pancakes, bacon, eggs and cinnamon rolls.”

“Don’t forget coffee.” Paisley added, pouring two mugs.

Emma led Reid to a seat in the breakfast nook. The girls set the table: three plates of pancakes, bacon, and eggs and a mug on the side. Reid and Paisley had coffee, while Emma had hot cocoa. 

This, Reid thought, was worth getting up for. Breakfast with his daughter, and his surrogate sister. He had begun to see Paisley that way after JJ made a comment that their friendly banter sounding like two siblings. 

After the main course, Emma put a candle in one of the cinnamon rolls and the girls sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to him. Reid pretended to make a wish, and blew it out. He couldn’t think of anything better than what he had right now.

“Now it’s time for presents!” Emma cried, running to the living room and pulling a gift bag from under the coffee table.

“You really didn’t have to.” Reid said, glancing at Paisley.

Paisley shrugged. “We’ve been planning this all month. Let her have her moment.”

There was a handmade card attached to the bag, which Reid read first. Emma had drawn her father surrounded by balloons, with a cinnamon roll in front of him. On either side was Paisley and Emma.

Reid opened the bag and pulled out the colored tissue paper. His hand touched something soft, and took hold of it. 

“An elephant,” Reid said, smiling. It was an adorable, stuffed elephant.

“It reminded me of you.” Emma said. “Elephants have amazing memory, and they have strong familial bonds. They’re one of the smartest species of mammals in the world.”

“You’re very right. Thank you, Butterfly. And you, Paisley.”

* * *

A short while later, Paisley left for her class and Reid took Emma to school.

The academy allowed parents to walk their children to class, so Reid did every chance he got. Emma loved it when her father accompanied her anywhere, especially school.

“Emma, good morning,” Dr. Hyles greeted her. “And Dr. Reid, good morning. I heard it was your birthday.”

“I wonder who told you that.” Reid smiled down at his daughter. 

Emma grinned. “It’s Dr. Hyles’ birthday, too.” She then gave her father a hug and she hurried away to her friends.

Hyles took a step closer to him. “So how old are you today?”

“Um, twenty-eight,” Reid said. “And you?”

“Twenty-nine,” He replied. “One more year and I’ll be thirty. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Why is that?” Reid asked.

Hyles shrugged and spoke quietly. “I’ll finally be able to relax a little, I suppose. You see, my family has a history of Schizophrenia and-”

“And it presents itself in your twenties,” Reid finished. “I understand. My, um, mother has Schizophrenia, too.”

Hyles looked surprised, but continued. “It’s scary, knowing it might appear at any moment...”

“And that there’s nothing you can do to stop it.” Reid agreed.

They smiled at each other.

“I’ve never met anyone who understood what it was like.” Hyles said.

“Neither have I.” said Reid. His phone buzzed. “Oh, I’d better go. My friend wanted help setting up for a costume party tonight.”

“On your birthday?” Hyles asked, picking up a notepad from his desk and writing something down. 

Reid laughed. “Trust me, they never forget my birthday. I’m actually a little scared of what they might be planning.”

“Glad it’s not me, then,” Hyles said. “Listen, before you go, I wanted to give you this.” He passed the note he’d written. “My personal cell number. In case you ever want to talk. I mean, we seem to have a lot in common.”

To Reid, Hyles seemed pretty nervous, though he wasn’t sure why, so he smiled in order to help him relax. “Thanks, I might take you up on that offer.”

His words and expression had the desired effect. Hyles relaxed and smiled back. 

Once he said goodbye to Emma, Reid left the school. Climbing into his car, he pulled out his phone and saved Hyles’ number. He had it memorized but he liked having all his numbers catalogued and labelled. 

Another text from JJ told him to hurry up. Best not to test her, Reid thought. He didn’t feel like dying on his birthday.

* * *

By the time Emma was out of school, Reid was finished helping JJ set up for the party. She clambered into the car seemingly seconds after the release bell rang, a small pumpkin in her arms. 

“We had a pumpkin patch at school, and everyone got their own pumpkins! We’re going to have a pumpkin carving contest. The best carving wins!”

Reid shared her enthusiasm as he pulled onto the street. “When do you turn it in?”

“Friday. Can we work on it tomorrow after school?” She gave him a pleading look.

There was no way Reid could say no to that face.

“Of course, Butterfly.”

They knocked on JJ’s door at six o’clock on the dot. Morgan answered.

“Aw, aren’t you adorable?” Morgan, a vampire for the night, said, admiring Emma’s costume as they entered the house. “JJ, you’ve got some competition.”

JJ pretended to storm into the room, but it was difficult in her pink Aurora dress. 

“Who dares dress as a princess at my par- oh my gosh you two are so cute!”

The sight of a tiny Princess Leia accompanied by a Jedi was too much for the BAU Liaison. 

“Daddy did my hair.” Emma said. “It’s a good thing I let it grow out. And I got my own lightsaber.” She pulled a blue saber from her bag. 

“You know Leia doesn’t have one, right?” Morgan said as they moved to the dining room. There were decorations everywhere, but none too scary for young children. 

Emma glared at him, pressing a button on the lightsaber that made it pop out and light up.

Morgan cleared his throat, and turned to Reid. “Well, uh, happy birthday, pretty boy. How’s it feel to be 28?”

“Not that different than being 27.” Reid said, accepting a mug of hot cocoa from Will, who also handed one to Emma. “Are we the only ones here?”

“Emily and Penelope said they would be here soon.” JJ said. “I haven’t heard from anybody else.”

There was another knock on the door, and Will, a werewolf, returned moments later with Hotch, who was also a vampire, and Jack, dressed as Woody. 

“Spencer, happy birthday.” Hotch gave him a hug and JJ took the gift from his hand, laying it on a table that was already holding other gifts.

“We’ll get to that later.” JJ said. 

A small cry in the corner of the room caught their attention.

“Look who’s awake…” JJ picked up her son, dressed in a tiny lion onesie, from his pack and play, where he’d been napping, and brought him straight to Spencer. “Say ‘happy birthday’ to Uncle Spencer.”

Henry giggled and reached for Reid, who held him confidently. Six months ago he was weary with small children, but he was much more comfortable now.

Reid was still holding Henry and playing with him when Garcia, as a fairy, Prentiss, as a pirate, and Rossi, as Rossi, arrived.

“Everyone’s here, so why don’t we play a board game?” JJ offered. 

Garcia narrowed her eyes at Reid. “Not until I’ve seen my godson.”

Reid met her glare. “It’s my birthday, so I get a monopoly on the baby.”

“Monopoly sounds fun.” Rossi said, trying to break the tension.

“Monopoly it is.” JJ agreed, pulling the game out of cabinet. “Garcia gets thirty minutes.”

Reid reluctantly handed the child over to Garcia, and began counting in his head.

“I’ll be the banker.” Hotch said. The others paired up and chose their pieces. 

Jack chose to be the assistant banker, and Emma teamed up with Prentiss. JJ and Will were a team, and Morgan joined Garcia. Rossi, like Reid, was on his own.

As soon as the thirty minutes were up, Reid took Henry back, just in time for him to be hungry. JJ quickly made a bottle and gave it to Reid. Of course, the distraction of the child somehow led Reid to bankruptcy at the hands of Prentiss and Emma. Rossi managed to collect the four railroads and place hotels on all of them, and Morgan and Garcia repeatedly landed on them, leading them to mortgage their three properties. 

Halfway through the game everybody served themselves dinner, and they ate while they played. Dinner was followed by a cake that said, ‘Happy Birthday, Pretty Boy’.

“I wonder who frosted it.” Reid said sarcastically, his eyes on Morgan.

In the end, it was down to Will and JJ against Rossi. The game was decided when Will and JJ landed on the free parking space and received the tax money, most of which had been paid by the now broke Em-team (as Emma and Prentiss were now calling themselves).

Two hours had passed, and Henry was asleep in Reid’s arms. He carefully placed the child back in the pack and play. 

“Time for presents,” JJ said cheerfully, sitting Reid down in a chair where everyone could see him, making him more than a little self-conscious. That did not stop JJ from passing him present after present. It seemed everyone had gotten him something.

The gifts started normal. 

Hotch gave him a book on string theory that Reid hadn’t read yet. But then Rossi gave him a rope toy. He looked around for an explanation but no one said a word.

Morgan gave him a book on picking up girls, earning him glares from the women in the room. Prentiss gave him a basket of sweets, including a box of dog treats and a chew bone.

“Guys, what is going on?”

No one answered as JJ forced him to open the next gift. A fluffy dog bed from Garcia.

His team could barely hold back their laughter as Reid pulled out the last gift, from Will. A leash and collar.

Reid glanced up at JJ, having figured it out. “Is it a boy or a girl?”

JJ went upstairs and returned moments later with something smaller than Henry, but covered in fur, in her arms.

“He’s a golden retriever,” she said, handing him the puppy.

Reid’s face broke into a smile, and he glanced at Emma, who seemed entranced. “Thank you, guys.” 

“What are you going to name him?” Morgan asked.

“I’m not sure.” Reid looked to Emma for some ideas.

Emma shrugged, reaching out to pet the puppy. He licked her hand and she squealed. 

Jack, of course, also wanted to pet him, and Reid showed him how to be gentle.

“Chewbaca.” Emma said. “We can call him ‘Chewie’ for short.”

“A wonderful idea, Princess Leia.”

And so, another member joined the BAU family.


	8. Catch the Bad Guy

“Chewie! Here, boy!” Reid called the dog, who was sniffing around the backyard. 

Chewie’s head jerked up at the sound of his master’s voice, and he hurtled towards him. As he approached, Reid held up a hand.

“Sit.”

Chewie sat, his tail a blur in his excitement.

“Good boy!” Reid gave him a treat, and then clipped a leash to him. “Time for a walk, boy.”

Emma jogged down the stairs, skipping the last two steps, which was quite an accomplishment considering her height.

“Careful,” Reid said instinctively, dropping Chewie’s leash so he could retrieve his coat from the closet.

“I’m good.” Emma replied. She pulled a Reeses out of her pocket and opened it. Chewie stared at her

“You still have Halloween candy?” Paisley asked, having finished her own two weeks before.

“Maybe…” Emma said, lowering the chocolate when it was halfway to her mouth. 

There was a blur of gold and a moment later Emma was staring in shock at her empty hand. Chewie was nowhere in sight. Paisley burst out laughing, and Emma started crying. 

“But dogs can’t have chocolate!” she sobbed. “What if he gets sick and dies?”

As Reid searched the house for their puppy, Paisley assured her that it would take a lot more chocolate to make Chewie sick. Reeses wasn’t even pure chocolate. 

Reid found Chewie in the kitchen, drinking water to wash down his dessert. The doctor crossed his arms and waited. Finally, Chewie looked up and, realizing he’d done something wrong, trudged to the kennel in the corner of the breakfast nook.

With a sigh, Reid picked up the leash that was still attached to him and called him out. Chewie followed him back to the front door, where a still teary-eyed Emma was putting on her coat.

“Chewie, you’re okay!” Emma wrapped her arms around the puppy, who licked her and whined as if to apologize.

Paisley rolled her eyes. “Why you didn’t believe a medical student I don’t know.”

Emma returned the gesture. “You’re training to be a people doctor, not a vet.” 

Reid just chuckled and ensured everyone was dressed warmly enough for the cool November day.

“Doesn’t Chewie need a jacket?” Emma asked as they headed for the car.

“Dogs have fur, Butterfly.” Reid said, knowing Emma knew this. She just wanted to dress up her dog. “And if he does get cold, you can snuggle with him.” He opened the door behind the driver and said: “Up.” 

Chewie followed the order and hopped into the car as Emma climbed in on the other side. This was the only time Emma didn’t mind being in the backseat. Chewie climbed into Emma’s lap, and stayed there until they reached the dog park. 

“I’m not sure who likes the dog park more,” Reid said to Paisley as they watched Emma play with Chewie. She was trying to teach him to walk through a tunnel. 

Paisley laughed. “I’d say it’s pretty equal.” 

“Hotch is hosting Thanksgiving this year,” Reid said. “Do you want to join us?”

“Thanks for the invite,” Paisley said. “But I actually have that week off, so I was going to fly to Jacksonville to visit my parents. I haven’t seen them since… May, I think.”

“That’s a long time,” Reid agreed. 

“I’ll have some great stories to tell them,” Paisley said with a grin.

“Like the Chocolate Bandit?”

“Exactly.”

* * *

Reid was sitting at his desk, watching JJ, Prentiss, and Garcia talk to Sarah, a mother who’d believed for eight years that her missing son was still alive - and she’d been right. He’d been held captive by an insane old couple who’d been kidnapping children ever since. Only three of them made it out alive.

“You okay, kid?” Morgan asked, his voice softer than usual. 

“Yeah, fine,” Reid said unconvincingly.

“You’re thinking about Emma again, aren’t you?” 

“Are you profiling me?”

“No, I’m trying to be…” Morgan searched for the right word. “Comforting.”

Reid said nothing.

“I know that look, Reid.”

“What look?”

“That one, on your face.”

“You’re going to have to be more specific.”

Morgan sighed. “That’s the look JJ always gets when we deal with mothers and children. It’s okay to sympathize.”

“I thought I was sympathizing before, but now that I have a child…” Reid met Morgan’s eyes. “When one goes missing, all I can think is, ‘What if it was Emma?’”

Morgan wasn’t sure how to comfort Reid at that point. He didn’t have children. This was more of a Hotch or JJ thing. Maybe even Rossi. Fortunately, Hotch joined them in that moment.

“I guess we can classify this as one of our good days.” Hotch said. “I’ll have Garcia and JJ contact the other families later. There’s still several unidentified children in those pictures Charlie took.”

There was a moment of silence before Hotch approached Reid, who looked up at his boss.

“I know it’s hard, Spencer,” he told him. “Knowing we can’t save them all is the worst part.”

Reid nodded. “How did you feel… when Foyet had Jack?”

“I’m not sure how to describe that feeling,” Hotch said. “Lost, terrified, angry… All I know is I don’t want you or JJ to ever have that feeling.”

* * *

Thanksgiving was two days later, and everybody showed up at Hotch’s house early, as he was playing the Macy’s Day Parade. Even Strauss stopped by with a homemade pumpkin pie. 

Jack and Emma played in his room together while Henry was passed around. JJ had to force Reid and Garcia to give the child up.

For one day, they didn’t receive any summons. For one day they didn’t have to be FBI agents. They could just be a family.

“Okay, here it comes. Don’t you dare look away. There it is! Everybody, look, look, Spencer!” Garcia grabbed him, nearly causing him to choke on his pie, and forced him to watch the gigantic Pikachu flying across the screen. “I cannot believe you almost missed that!”

Reid coughed. “When they add an R2D2 or a Dalek, then I’ll be more excited.”

“But Snoopy’s in the parade, Daddy!” Emma argued.

Reid refrained from explaining the very depressing reality about the classic Charlie Brown characters. Instead, he took a sip of hot chocolate. Kevin, however, tried to bring it up. Reid stuffed a cookie in his mouth with a glare.

“Hey, nobody feeds my beau but me,” said Garcia. 

“He lost all rights when he tried to ruin my little girl’s childhood.” Reid told her once Emma was out of earshot, helping Jack count tiny marshmallows in his cocoa.

Backing Reid up, Garcia dragged Kevin to another room and explained various rules about talking to her baby’s baby. Kevin tried to argue that Reid wasn’t a baby, but then decided that Garcia continuing to talk to him was better than being right.

“Anybody want to go Black Friday shopping with me?” Prentiss asked, to which Garcia volunteered. 

“They’ve got this adorable dress at Geri’s that I know is going to be on sale.” 

It wasn’t meant to be, however. Just as the night began to wane, and everyone was cleaning up and preparing to say goodbye, JJ’s phone rang. 

Everyone held their breath as JJ talked to the person on the other end. Finally, she hung up.

“We’ve got a case. Ten kids just went missing simultaneously in a small town in Michigan.”

There was a collective sigh across the room. 

Jessica spoke first. “I’ll take Emma and Jack. Paisley is out of town, right?”

Reid smiled gratefully at her, then he kneeled down and kissed Emma goodbye.

“Go catch the bad guy, Daddy,” the little girl said before taking Jessica’s hand.

Hotch took charge after saying goodbye to Jack. “Wheels up in thirty minutes. JJ can brief us on the plane.”

Author’s note: I know Mosley Lane actually happens in December but I had to switch it up a bit. I’m also fairly certain that Haley’s funeral was in a colder month, considering everyone was wearing warm clothes, but that could also have been the formality of the event. Also, that case they got called to just now wasn’t a real one. I made it up. I think it’s obvious that not all of the cases they solve (or don’t solve) are shown in the series. They have long time skips in between episodes sometimes so there has to be something they do in between aside from paperwork.


	9. Jingle Bells

“Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,” Paisley sang along to the song on the music channel, hanging a blue bauble on the green fur. “Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh, hey!”

Reid and Emma joined her. Most of the ornaments they hung were generic, though Paisley had convinced them to start the tradition of buying a personal ornament for each of them every Christmas. Emma had chosen Cinderella for herself and a book ornament for Reid.

“Why Cinderella?” Paisley asked. 

“Because my shoes always fall off, like hers did.” She explained.

“That’s because you don’t tie them.” Reid teased.

Emma pouted. “Who invented laces anyways? Velcro is much easier. Didn’t they used to have buckles?”

Reid shrugged, knowing he would never convince his daughter of the sensibility of shoelaces.

Chewie sniffed at a candy cane hanging low on the tree.

“No, Chewie,” Reid said firmly, moving the candy further up the tree. Chewie’s ears drooped and he backed away, laying down on his bed and staring longingly at the candy cane.

“Peppermint won’t hurt him,” Emma said.

“No, but if you share your candy with him now, you’ll always have to share,” Reid told her.

Emma had a thoughtful look for a moment, and then she shook her head. “No candy canes for you, Chewie. Dog treats only.”

“We’re ready for the star!” Paisley declared.

Emma squealed and clapped her hands. Carefully, Reid lifted her above him so that she could place the star on the very top of the tree. Once he put her down, Reid could tell it was slightly crooked, which normally would have irked his OCD, but he wouldn’t fix it in a million years. To him, it was perfect.

“You know, this place looks nice enough for a Christmas party.” Paisley commented.

Emma’s eyes lit up. “Daddy, we should! We should host a Christmas party and invite everybody!”

Before Reid could say anything, Paisley jumped back in. “We could hold a Secret Santa, too, for the adults.”

“What’s a Secret Santa?” Emma asked.

“Whoa, wait a minute,” Reid interrupted. “Are you two serious?”

Emma took a deep breath, and Reid prepared for the fast speech he was about to receive. “Daddy, JJ hosted the Halloween party, and Hotch hosted Thanksgiving. Rossi isn’t likely to invite anyone to his house, despite how big it is, and Morgan and Emily’s apartments are too small for everybody. Do you know who that leaves?”

“Garcia and myself.” Reid answered.

 

“Exactly, and do you really want to know what Penelope might plan for the biggest holiday of the year?” 

No, he did not. Reid gave in, despite the anxiety of having everyone on his team in his home, and their families. Sure, they’d had a housewarming party, but that had been small, and Reid hadn’t had any part in the planning. 

Emma and Paisley got right to work deciding what they would need for the event, sitting down on the couch with their heads together and a pen and pad in Paisley’s hands. Reid busied himself with collecting the boxes that had held the Christmas decorations and putting them away in the basement.

“We can make the invitations,” Emma suggested. “Daddy, would you hand them out at work?”

“Sure,” Reid said, wondering if he really had a choice. In an effort to seem cheerful about the idea, he added: “I’ll handle the Secret Santa, too.”

“It might be more fun as a potluck, so encourage everybody to bring their own dishes,” Paisley said. “We’ll put it on the invite, too.”

“The host should make the turkey, though.” Emma said. “It’s the main dish.”

Two sets of eyes turned to Reid, who probably looked like a deer in headlights. 

“Do you know how to cook a turkey, Spencer?” Paisley asked. 

Reid was an okay cook. He’d been feeding himself (and his mother, until she was institutionalized) ever since his father had left, so he knew how to use an oven and stove. He knew a variety of recipes and could recite them in quick succession, as well as execute them. He’d even grown used to cooking for three people over the summer. 

A turkey, however, was a tall order. Reid searched his mental hard drive, but he couldn’t find a single turkey recipe. There were several random facts about live turkeys floating around, and nutrition information from a pack of sliced turkey he’d glanced at once, but nothing about how to cook a whole one.

The rare moment of silence from the doctor spoke volumes to the girls. Emma looked a little panicked. Evidently, the centerpiece of the feast was rather important for her.

Paisley was not so worried. “It shouldn’t be too hard for someone with a P.h.d. in chemistry.”

Reid couldn’t disagree more.

* * *

The team was more than happy to go to the Reid’s house for Christmas, and especially willing to bring dishes of their own. 

Rossi even volunteered to help Reid with the turkey, and Garcia organized the Secret Santa. Spencer was grateful he didn’t have to do either on his own. He loved his team, and he knew they loved him, too, but planning a party was terrifying. He’d never do it without Emma and Paisley. 

Garcia arrived one morning with a stocking full of candy canes. Each candy cane had a single piece of paper wrapped around it, which held a name. Whomever you drew, that was who you would buy a Christmas present for. Garcia made sure to include Kevin, Will, and Paisley, since they would be at the party as well.

“Why aren’t we doing this for the kids?” Morgan asked, pulling out a candy cane and slipping it into his pocket. They had orders not to peek until they were alone.

“There’s only three of them.” Garcia explained as she held out the stocking for Reid. “Besides, raise your hand if you’re not going to buy something for at least one of the children.”

Reid and JJ both drew a second one, which was placed in a box. One for Paisley, and one for Will.

An hour later, Reid used the restroom on the plane, where he pulled out the candy cane and read the name.

Despite his eidetic memory, he had to reread it several times for it to sink in. He sat back on the toilet and sighed. Why did he get the most difficult one of them all?

* * *

Christmas dinner was wonderful. Everyone sat around the table and shared stories and laughs. After dessert, they migrated to the living room, where all but the Secret Santa gifts were opened. Emma and Jack took their gifts downstairs to the rec room to play together, leaving the adults to their own fun.

Reid shivered, wondering how he could be cold when he was right next to the hearth. 

Hotch, sitting next to him, noticed. “You alright?”

“Yeah, just a little cold.” Reid admitted. “The temperature is pretty low for December.”

Hotch nodded as they started a game of Scattergories, which everyone had forgotten Reid excelled at, so Kevin introduced a game called Quelf. Everyone, even Reid, thoroughly enjoyed it.

Finally, it was Secret Santa time.

“Alright, who’s going to go first?” Garcia asked, returning Henry to JJ. No one volunteered. “Fine, then. Spencer, come and pick up a random gift. Read who it’s for, and then that person has to guess who their Secret Santa is before they can open it.”

Spencer picked up a tootsie roll-shaped gift. “This is for… Emily.”

Emily took the gift, studied the wrapping, and then everybody else. “Hmm… Will.” 

“You got me.” Will said. “Hope you like it.”

It was a rare poster of an old movie that Emily adored. “How did you keep to the $50 limit?”

“That was my daddy’s.” Will explained. “He liked those kinds of movies.”

“Thanks, Will,” Emily said. “It’s amazing.”

Reid picked up the next gift, and they continued the game. There were only three gifts left when Reid picked up the one for himself. It was either Garcia or Hotch. 

Reid didn’t have to guess. The paper was simple but tasteful. It was straight and uniform. “Hotch.”

Hotch nodded with a small smile and Reid set to opening his gift. A small, blue box sat inside a display, with a strange looking man carrying a little light up stick. Reid admired every detail of the TARDIS, the ninth doctor and his sonic screwdriver.

“Wow, thanks!” 

“Just don’t bring it to work, Reid,” Morgan warned.

“That’s a foul,” Garcia said. “You can’t make stipulations for something you didn’t buy.”

The room laughed, and then Reid picked up the next gift, for Hotch.

“Garcia.” Hotch said as quickly as Reid had. Of course Reid, the only other person left, would never wrap a gift meant for a man in bright pink paper and a purple ribbon. 

“Who else?” Garcia asked.

The gift itself, thankfully, was a photo album of the team over the past few years. There were a few that included Gideon and Elle, but most were the current team.

“Thank you, Garcia. This means a lot.”

Reid had just picked up the last one when Garcia took it. “Hmm, I wonder who this is from.”

Reid smiled sheepishly as she unwrapped it. 

Garcia gasped loudly. “I. Love. It.”

“Are you going to show the rest of us?” Kevin asked.

She obliged, holding it up so all could see.

Reid had thought long and hard about what to buy for the Queen of Drama. He knew he couldn’t do clothes, or books, or anything with technology, so he’d gone for something completely different. 

It was a hand-knitted rainbow scarf, with some silver here and there to give it a glittery look.

“That’s beautiful.” Prentiss commented.

Garcia put on the scarf, stood up, and practically squeezed the life out of him.

“Merry Christmas…” Reid managed to say once he’d regained his breath.

“Merry Christmas, Spencer,” Garcia replied.


	10. Golden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many apologies everyone. I almost forgot that I hadn't posted the last chapter to this story. Obviously, this is only part 1. There is more to come, but I'm still working on a few other projects (like being nominated for two fanfiction awards!) and I won't have as much time to update this one. 
> 
> I still love this story, though, and I won't ever abandon it. (If I ever don't update for more than ten months, assume I'm dead.)
> 
> I hope you enjoy and please leave a comment.

“I’m so proud of you, Butterfly,” Reid said, carrying his now-six-year-old daughter, clad in a gold graduation cap and gown, into the restaurant. Her birthday and her awards ceremony were on the same day, and Reid wanted to celebrate. Paisley was at an internship, so Hotch and Jack were meeting them at Emma’s favorite restaurant, Whitney’s Harvest. 

“It’s just Kindergarten, Daddy.” Emma said, yawning. “And for the second time, too.”

“You were technically a preschooler at your public school,” Reid reasoned as they waited for a hostess. “AGC had no choice but to classify you by your age.”

“Yeah, I know, that’s fair.”

“Emma, look at all the things you’ve accomplished this past year. You were in the Chess club, the swim team, and you worked so hard on your Marine Protection project.”

The hostess arrived and directed them to a table for four, as Reid had signalled.

“I didn’t win any Chess tournaments or swim competitions. My project got a perfect score, though.”

Reid sighed, setting Emma down so she could sit in a chair across from him. “Em, it’s not always supposed to be about winning. It’s about the effort you give to accomplish something. Remember what Dr. Hyles said in his speech?”

Emma thought. “That each and every one of us has a bright future ahead of us, so long as we’re willing to put our best foot forward.”

“Wise words,” said a voice behind them.

“Hotch!” Reid said, recovering quickly from his surprise. “I’m glad you could come.”

“Me too.” Hotch said. Jack ran around the table to sit next to Emma, so Hotch joined Reid. “Who’s the wise man we’re quoting?”

“My teacher, Dr. Hyles.” Emma explained. The server, Rita, dropped by with menus and took the drink orders. Before she left, she made sure to ask Emma, who still wore her cap and gown what the occasion was - her moving-up ceremony and her birthday. The server left excitedly and Emma continued. “Dr. Hyles is almost exactly like Daddy.”

“He’s an FBI agent, too?” Jack asked, starting a tic-tac-toe game against her on his kids menu.

“Sadly, no.” Emma replied, purposely losing the game. She liked making Jack happy, who was a year younger and her best friend. “Daddy, can we get milkshakes?”

“I thought you would want cake,” Reid said. “But if you’d rather have a milkshake… It’s your birthday, so you get to choose what dessert you want.”

Emma looked at Jack, who agreed wholeheartedly with the shake-over-cake idea. 

“What do you want to eat, Jack?” Hotch asked.

“Spaghetti and meatballs.” Jack said.

Rita returned with their drinks and took their orders, noting that the two little ones wanted milkshakes after their meals.

The food was delicious. Emma had followed Jack’s example and chosen Spaghetti as well, though she ended up far less messy.  
When she brought out the milkshakes, Rita was followed by several of the other servers. One of them had two slices of pie for Hotch and Reid. The crew then sang happy birthday to Emma, who became shy despite knowing all of them.

Rita left the dessert off the tab, as well as the rest of Emma’s meal, so Reid made sure to leave a good tip. Emma walked out of the restaurant far less tired than she’d been before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow this chapter was short and I didn't even write a good ending... Change of plans. Part 2 will come out this weekend because I am a terrible person.


End file.
